Achieving very low levels of detection : an improved surface-enhanced raman scattering experiment for the physical chemistry teaching laboratory

This experiment was designed and successfully introduced to complement the nanochemistry taught to undergraduate students in a useful and interesting way. Colloidal Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple, room-temperature method, and the resulting suspension was then used to study the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of methylene blue. The colloid was also characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy, and these results were used to help explain some of the observed SERS features. The students looked at the effects of concentration and acquisition time on the measured SERS spectra, and the final part of the experiment was based around using their newly acquired knowledge to investigate the lowest concentration of methylene blue that could be detected. Concentrations of 5 × 10-10 M were routinely achieved. The combination of UV–visible spectroscopy, SERS, and nanochemistry made for an interesting and thought-provoking laboratory experience

The use of sodium iodide for the management of bovine respiratory disease

Objective: The purpose of these studies was to (1) determine the effect of a single dose of oral sodium iodide on weaned beef calves and (2) determine the outcome of clinical application of a single dose of oral sodium iodide as an on arrival procedure. Animals: (1) 16 healthy, weaned beef calves and (2) 629, 300 pound high risk beef calves. Procedures: (1) A single dose of oral sodium iodide was administered at 70 mg/kg once. Serum and nasal iodine concentrations were collected. (2) A single dose of oral sodium iodide and/or meloxicam was administered on arrival to a backgrounding operation. Morbidity and mortality results were recorded and analyzed. Results: (1) Serum and nasal fluid iodine concentrations were significantly different from control animals. (2) The control animals had the lowest mortality of the experimental groups. Conclusions: (1) Healthy, weaned beef calves can secrete iodine into their airway surface liquid/secretions to effective antimicrobial concentrations. (2) The administration of oral sodium iodide as an on arrival procedure did not significantly reduce mortality due to BRD. At this time, the use of sodium iodide as a preventative to BRD cannot be advocated

A “Partnership” for the Professional Development of Librarian Researchers

In this article the authors introduce the Librarians’ Research Partnership (LRP), founded in 2013, at McGill and Concordia University Libraries. The Partnership was inspired by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries’ Librarians’ Research Institute (CARL LRI) which was attended by three of the authors in 2012 and is described here from the point of view of the participants. The authors touch upon the research culture at McGill and Concordia Libraries and discuss barriers and supports for research as prominent themes in the literature on the research role of Canadian academic librarians. The formation of the LRP and the eight subsequent meetings are explained in detail, as well as the factors that made the LRP a successful initiative between the two universities: physical proximity, similarity of working environments, and common organizational culture. The article also includes a discussion of how the LRP’s philosophy might diverge from that of the LRI